Does anyone know what oil or thinner would be good for thinning Ballistol (something other than water)?

I love the stuff but I don't always need it to be so thick so I'd like to make up a bottle of the stuff thinned about 50% with a spirit. Problem is I've noted that Ballistol does not always mix well with everything. I can do the trial-by-error thing but it's always nice to look for known success first.

Do a search in here and you will find many references. I believe I recall one that listed distilled water. So I thought what the heck and mixed a little with tap water and what a mess that turned out to be. I have been using it full strength and I know that it can be dilluted so one large can will last forever.
I'll be keeping an eye on this one ...

I made up a bunch of 'batches' of various ratios for use with the Dutch Schoultz Black Powder Rifle Accuracy System, everything from 5:1 up to 9:1 about a year ago. Soaked some ticking strips in each and let them dry for use as lubed patches. I still have most of the original mixtures and they appear to be intact.

Anyway, tap water is all I've ever used and it appears to work just fine, at least for use as a patch lube.

I am a dedicated Ballistol user and, as you know, it was designed to be mixed with water. Mixing it with some toxic substance does not make sense to me as there are many other toxic products/mixes out there that would probably work better. The beauty of Ballistol, the original "CLP," is that it is non-toxic, can be mixed with water, and does not hurt, but actually helps metal, plastic, wood, leather, house plants, etc. I would look in another direction if you intend to "toxicify" Ballistol.

I am a dedicated Ballistol user and, as you know, it was designed to be mixed with water. Mixing it with some toxic substance does not make sense to me as there are many other toxic products/mixes out there that would probably work better. The beauty of Ballistol, the original "CLP," is that it is non-toxic, can be mixed with water, and does not hurt, but actually helps metal, plastic, wood, leather, house plants, etc. I would look in another direction if you intend to "toxicify" Ballistol.

I am a dedicated Ballistol user and, as you know, it was designed to be mixed with water. Mixing it with some toxic substance does not make sense to me as there are many other toxic products/mixes out there that would probably work better. The beauty of Ballistol, the original "CLP," is that it is non-toxic, can be mixed with water, and does not hurt, but actually helps metal, plastic, wood, leather, house plants, etc. I would look in another direction if you intend to "toxicify" Ballistol.

I will have to try some distilled water as my tap water does not work. ...
We have hard water and perhaps, that is my problem. Will also try soft water and see where that takes me. I also do not see the practical aspects of using a solvent. ....

I'm no expert but for general gun cleaning and protection of wood, metal, plastic and leather I would not dilute it. But for blackpowder cleaning and other specific uses listed on the container I would use water as directed. I just love that Ballistol.

I am a dedicated Ballistol user and, as you know, it was designed to be mixed with water. Mixing it with some toxic substance does not make sense to me as there are many other toxic products/mixes out there that would probably work better. The beauty of Ballistol, the original "CLP," is that it is non-toxic, can be mixed with water, and does not hurt, but actually helps metal, plastic, wood, leather, house plants, etc. I would look in another direction if you intend to "toxicify" Ballistol.

Hogwash. The "non-toxic" nature of Ballistol is massively over hyped pretty much the same way most of its miracle claims are. Don't believe me? Drink a pint of it and I promise to attend your funeral and lay some flowers.

Major components of Ballistol include buytl and propyl alcohols which do not fall into anyones notion of "non-toxic". Ballistol is COMPLETELY toxic the same way that methanol or isopropyl alcohol is. It will kill you dead if you get enough of it in your system and long term absorption of it's toxic chemical constituents over time will surely cause CNS damage the same as methanol. One could argue that it's less toxic than acetone or MEK or gasoline etc., but that's like saying that it's also less toxic than cyanide or arsenic - big deal, poison is still poisonous.

The only claims regarding the stuff that matter is that it emulsifies well with water (useful for BP shooters) and it neutralizes corrosive salts (useful for BP and corrosive ammo shooters). Those are EXCELLENT properties and form the basis of why it is and should be popular stuff. Everything else it claims is marketing hype and grandiose hype at that.

As much as I like the stuff the truth is it's also expensive and rather THICK and that is why I would like to find something to cut it with. I do not need it to be so thick when what I wish to use it for is a light spritz on guns for flushing or wiping down, and I dang sure don't want any WATER in it for many of the general purposes I use it for. I had high hopes for ethanol (now THERE is a chemical that is "non-toxic") but that did not pan out and since I don't wish to work through every spirit out there so I was hoping that someone here already knew of one that would work. Simple question! Or so I thought...

"BALLISTOL has been around in Europe for over three generations. Originally invented for military use it became a household word in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Millions of users have experimented with BALLISTOL and found new surprising applications for it, some of which reach into the field of veterinary and even human medicine. In the United States the law prohibits a seller to advertise or recommend a product for use as a drug in human or veterinary medicine, unless the Food and Drug Administration have approved it for these uses. BALLISTOL has not been submitted for approval by the FDA as a drug. In Germany a modified formula of BALLISTOL, NEO-BALLISTOL, is admitted for use in veterinary and human medicine. NEO-BALLISTOL is not sold in the USA, Canada or Mexico.

WARNING: BALLISTOL MUST BE USED AS INDICATED IN THE CONSUMER INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS PAGE AND ON THE REVERSE PANEL OF ITS CONTAINER. DO NOT USE BALLISTOL AS A DRUG. BALLISTOL IS NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION."

The only claims regarding the stuff that matter is that it emulsifies well with water (useful for BP shooters) and it neutralizes corrosive salts (useful for BP and corrosive ammo shooters). Those are EXCELLENT properties and form the basis of why it is and should be popular stuff. Everything else it claims is marketing hype and grandiose hype at that.

Your grasp of chemistry seems a bit dodgey. Corrosive salts aren't "neutralized" by Ballistol or any other product. What must be done with the salts is that they must be dissolved and physically removed from the gun. That's exactly what the water in aqueous cleaners, like the WWII GI bore solvent and the various "moose milk" Ballistol dilutions, does. Plain water will remove the salts just fine on its own.

Regarding death from ingesting too much Ballistol: you will also die if you ingest too much water, too much table salt, too much nutmeg, or too much of just about anything. Toxicity is a matter of degree and Ballistol, absent you doing something completely stupid like trying to drink a bottle of it, is non-toxic for all practical purposes.

The only thing "dodgy" going on around here is anyone who would argue that the above chemicals are "non-toxic"...which had ZERO to do with the OP.

Okay, Dr. Science, how toxic are they? What is the median lethal dose? How exactly do they damage the body? Must they be ingested or can they be absorbed through contact with the skin? Are they dangerous in acute doses, chronic exposure, or both?
You've made some powerfully disturbing assertions, chucko, time to back them up.

Q: "Does anyone know what oil or thinner would be good for thinning Ballistol (something other than water)?"

R: "Do a search in here and you will find many references. I believe I recall one that listed distilled water."

Or

R: "Huh? I've always just used tap water."

Yeah, "Huh?" is exactly right.

Quote:

Okay, Dr. Science, how toxic are they? What is the median lethal dose? How exactly do they damage the body? Must they be ingested or can they be absorbed through contact with the skin? Are they dangerous in acute doses, chronic exposure, or both? You've made some powerfully disturbing assertions, chucko, time to back them up.

I'm no Dr. Science but I do know how to use the google and I suggest YOU do the same thing and be thorough about it. NONE of which has a dang thing to do with the original quesiton:

Quote:

Does anyone know what oil or thinner would be good for thinning Ballistol (something other than water)?

I think you have your answer. No one here knows what else could be used to dilute Ballistol other than water. This is probably because Ballistol is meant to be diluted with water. On the Ballistol bottle it shows dilution ratios. Water is the only thing mentioned. I supposed one way to look at this is to try and figure out what can be used to dilute mineral oil since that is the closest thing that Ballistol seems to be like. The answer is probably going to be mineral spirits. Have you tried that before?

Since your chemistry isn't all it could be, let me point you in the right direction.
The basic rule for solvents/solutes is that "like dissolves like." Polar solutes require a polar solvent. Non-polar solutes require a non-polar solvent. Water, due to its partially polar nature, is sometimes described as a universal solvent. Ballistol doesn't dissolve in water, though, it forms an emulsion thanks to some of the ingredients.
So, what you need to do on this pointless little quest of yours, is find an appropriate solvent for mineral oil. Mineral oil is a non-polar hydrocarbon. Benzene and carbon tetra-chloride are a couple examples of non-polar solvents.
You'd be much better served just to switch to a different product than to try to "thin" Ballistol with something other than water, Dr. Science.

OK just one question. I use B/ w/ springwater. You can buy case of sw in plastic bottes for next to nothing!Pour out a couple of ozs and refill w/ B. Now it works good cleaning firearms ,polishing furniture and etc and course vinyl and leather in your car. The problem is the smell w/ this. HEY my wife thinks if there was an essential oil/scent/ she would use it more. So -not worrin bout guns and sporting stuff. what would you scent a 6/1 ratio for the little lady. That is a good ques But gotta be universal smell for everyone.

Tincture of wintergreen is what gives Bore Butter its Bengay aroma and that doesn't seem to hurt its effectiveness any. And a [few] dozen drops or so of wintergreen oil can be substituted in place of the tincture. But there are also plenty of other oils that can be added in different combinations to produce a more custom aroma.
Hmmmm....perhaps it could be made to smell like pepperment schnapps or spearmint gum?

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